1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to roller skates such as in-line skates and particularly to a braking system and an information retrieval system using RF signals linking a hand held unit to a braking located on the skate.
2. Prior Art
In-line skating has become a popular sport but one of the more difficult aspects of this type of skating is braking and speed control, for example when descending a hill. Various roller skate brakes have been developed to aid the skater in braking and speed control but suffer from a number of deficiencies. The two general types currently in use depend on friction being applied directly to the ground with a dragging surface or friction applied to the rolling wheel or wheels, like car and bicycle brakes. The dragging surface method can involve lifting the toe of the skate which often proves to be difficult for beginners or novices.
Another system involves cuff rotation is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,419 where the top portion of the boot rotates backward activating the dropping of a dragging surface to the ground or braking of the rolling wheels. The activation of this technique for this braking means involves placing one or both legs in distorted positions with the front foot extending far forward during braking. While this method is easier than the dragging frictional method, it is nonetheless difficult for beginners or novices. In addition, this method involves building a multi-part hinged boot which is more complicated, more expensive, and does not provide the rigidity desired by skaters. The systems which are the easiest to activate are the hand control activated braking systems. U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,439,238; 5,340,131 and 5,411,276 are representative of such systems. These devices generally use a hand held or belt held lever device that activates a wire, cable or fluid line which is connected to a brake on the skate which can be a pad which directly contacts the ground or some type of friction braking applied to the rolling wheels. U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,238 uses a cable running from the skates to the hand of the skater which when activated causes a dragging pad to be dropped to the ground. U.S. Pat. No. 5,411,276 uses friction applied to the rolling wheels.
These systems, although they are easier for novices and beginners to learn to use, are not ideal for a number of reasons. These brake controls inhibit the motion of the skaters hands, arms and legs by restricting them with a cable which runs down the arm area, back to their belt area, and then down their legs to the skates. In addition, any cables strung on the arms, torso, and legs can be dangerous if it were to catch on a passing protrusion such as bench, fire plug or tree. Due to the extreme movement involved in skating, cables also tend to rub and cause discomfort on the skaters skin.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,439,238 discloses a bicycle type squeeze lever which can be stored in the waist belt area while not being used. While this systems allows the motion of the arms to be uninhibited, it results in slower braking reaction times as the skater must quickly reach and attempt to locate the control.